Orangeburg's Bill Hamilton to serve as President of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame
Randy Warrick, Jim Corbett and Rick Sanford named VPs
COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 10, 2024) – Bill Hamilton of Orangeburg, the legendary publicist and historian from South Carolina State University, has been named President of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
“The Board of Directors is fortunate to have Bill Hamilton serve as this year’s president as he has been the long-time and successful publicist of SC State’s rich athletic history and a committed board member,” said SCAHOF Executive Director Andy Solomon. “We will benefit greatly from his vast experiences.”
“I am honored to serve as president of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame,” said Hamilton. “The Hall enjoys a storied past and has a bright future as it continues to honor those individuals who have contributed to the great athletic legacy in South Carolina and throughout the nation.”
Hamilton, who was reared in Chesterfield and graduated from S.C. State, retired in 2013 after 40 years as the only full-time sports information director in SCSU history, beginning his career in July, 1973. He remains active with SCSU athletics as the college’s athletic historian and as a football broadcaster. In 2009, was enshrined in the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors Association) Hall of Fame and in 2012, was the recipient of the SCAHOF’s annual Herman Helms Excellence in Media Award.
Hamilton becomes the fourth African American to serve as the organization’s president, following Casey Manning (1994), Willie Jeffries (2009) and Xavier Starkes (2015). He replaces Jeff May of Greenwood and Lander University.
Solomon also announced that Randy Warrick of Aiken, the retired director of athletics at USC Aiken, will be the first vice president, Columbia attorney Jim Corbett will be the second vice president and that Rick Sanford of West Columbia and a 1998 inductee, will be the third vice president.
Warrick, who retired in 2017, spent 39 years at USC Aiken as baseball coach and director of athletics, splitting the dual responsibilities in 1990. He was an integral part of the formation of the Peach Belt Conference and guided the Pacers from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Warrick is also the longest serving director of athletics in the history of the South Carolina system.
Corbett is a former radio sports reporter and has practiced law in Columbia with the same firm as for the last 34 years. Calling Columbia home since starting USC in 1979, the native of Oakland, NJ, was named the 1985 Radio Journalist of the Year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC) and has been an award-winning officer in both the Jaycees and Knights of Columbus.
Sanford is a former USC defensive back from Rock Hill (1975-78) who earned All-America status as a senior and was selected in the first round (25th overall) by the New England Patriots, becoming the first Gamecock to be drafted in the inaugural round. He played for seven years in the NFL for the Patriots (1979-84) and Seattle Seahawks (1985). He is a retired Doctor of Chiropractic and a Columbia-area radio personality.
The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2025 in January with the 63rd Annual Induction Ceremony and Banquet set for Monday, May 19, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Table opportunities will be available online at www.SCAHOF.org shortly after the class is announced.
2025 Officers
Bill Hamilton, President
Randy Warrick, 1st Vice President
Jim Corbett, 2nd Vice President
Rick Sanford, 3rd Vice President
Tara Moore, Treasurer, Charleston
Andy Solomon, Executive Director, Charleston
Gloria Friedgen, Administrator, Isle of Palms
2025 Executive Committee
Bill Hamilton, Chair, Orangeburg
Tony Ciuffo, Clemson/Charleston
Jim Corbett, Columbia
Bill D’Andrea, Central
Sonny Dickinson, Columbia
Julian Gibbons, Columbia
Jeff Grantz, Columbia
Jeff May, Greenwood
Rick Sanford, West Columbia
Xavier Starkes, Columbia
Randy Warrick, Aiken/Columbia
Andy Solomon, Ex-Officio
Gloria Friedgen, Ex-Officio